Many jet engine components, such as airfoil parts, are cast as a whole part using a die casting technique. Due to the unique geometries of the aircraft components, the die cavity is imprinted with many sharp corners (corners having an angle of less than or equal to 110 degrees) and deep grooves. The sharp corners and deep grooves create high thermal stress locations on the die cavity block. Fatigue cracks can more easily form at the high stress locations, resulting in accelerated wear and damage to the cavity block.
The accelerated wear requires the dies forming the die cavity to be replaced frequently, thereby increasing the costs associated with die casting aircraft parts. Further exacerbating the elevated thermal wear at the high stress locations is the fact that many aircraft components are cast from materials that must be cast at extremely high temperatures, such as nickel alloy. The temperatures these materials are cast at are particularly high when considered relative to a standard die casting material such as aluminum, which can be cast at approximately 1200 degrees F. (648.89 degrees C.). As a result of the deep grooves and sharp curves, manufacturing the dies out of materials suitable for extreme heat casting can also be prohibitively expensive.